Save Two Lives with One Doctor
by Aikat3rin3
Summary: Inuyasha avoids everything that could reveal what he has hidden from the world: himself. But after a young doctor helps him instead of exposing him, he questions whether he really wants to hide who he is from her, because he thinks he's in love. On hiatus
1. Chapter 1

Street Gang Fights

Inuyasha folded his arms behind his head, leaning back slightly to look at what stars you could see through the smog as he walked. Inuyasha hated walking at night. Especially when you lived in the roughest town on the entire western coast. Especially when you were thought to be an enemy by a gang, even though you weren't. Especially because your best friend was human, and was walking right next to you. If they were attacked tonight… well, he didn't want to think about it.

Inuyasha had done something unbelievably stupid. He had tried to be helpful, but what was the fucking use? Honestly.

He was walking by, on his way to work when he saw a woman being assaulted in an ally way. He had been raised by a retired swordsman and judo fighter, so what else was he supposed to do?

But when he had jumped in and knocked half of the assaulters out in nine seconds flat, another group of people had joined in, fighting the same people he had been. As it turned out, the woman was a girl, and she belonged to the group that had joined in the fight, which happened to be one of the two top gangs in the entire city, the Southside Sharks. When the other gang, the Northside Bikers were finally lying flat on their faces in the mud, the Sharks had fled from the approaching cop sirens, but not before one of them had patted Inuyasha on the shoulder as he ran by.

Inuyasha's hair was platinum blonde----scratch that, it was white. And he had dog-ears. And he was in the moonlight. It would be pretty damn hard for the Bikers to forget him after the Sharks had created the image that he was one of them, especially after he had run, also not wanting to meet with the cops.

He couldn't help it if he lived in Kikenchitai city, it was the only place he could afford to live. He and his father had never been really close, but after his mother died, the glue began to melt away. Then his father had done the unspeakable. He had engaged Inuyasha to a friend's daughter.

For Christ's sake! Did his father even know that they were living in the 21st century? It wasn't that he hated Kikyo, but he sure as hell didn't want to get married to her. Maybe if he gave her time… but if he returned to his previous life, there wouldn't be time. He be dragged of to the altar the second he walked in the door.

"You're quiet." Miroku noted with a laugh, his usual purple shirt catching the street lamp's light. Miroku always wore purple, no matter what anyone said to or about him.

"Feh." Inuyasha sniffed, not wanting to start a conversation. He wasn't a bubbling cheerleader or someone person who cut themselves. This was pretty normal behavior for him. Get used to it.

"Just saying." Miroku shrugged. Miroku didn't live in the same city as Inuyasha, but he felt sorry for his best friend or something and always came to visit. Not like Inuyasha asked him to or anything.

Miroku got the easy everything. Easy family, money coming from his rich father, easy job where he talked to girls all the time; and Inuyasha got the crappy two roomed apartment with holes in the walls and ceiling, tough job, tough neighborhood, a stick-up-the-ass brother, a pushy father… the list went on and on.

Inuyasha sniffed the air again, the wind was blowing in the wrong direction and it was faint, but the smell was there. Too much aftershave, rusty metal from guns, and 50-year-old jeans.

"Shit." Inuyasha hissed, looking around, his ears swiveling 360 degrees to find the source of that smell. He stepped to the side so he and Miroku were back to back; it would be easier for him to protect Miroku that way.

"What?" Miroku asked, his human nose and ears far to feeble to be any help here.

"Hey Inuyasha." A voice called from an ally. "Who's your boyfriend? Why don't you introduce us?" snickering came from other allies all around them.

"Sorry?" Miroku asked, politely, trying to keep his temper, which he had a much easier time doing than the boy beside him. "I happen to be straight." Inuyasha couldn't help but roll his eyes at the comment.

More snickering from the dark. A boy stepped out, his nose outrageously crooked from the first time he and Inuyasha had met. This boy was the ring leader, and had fallen victim to Inuyasha's first punch dealt out when he jumped in to save a girl that didn't need saving. The boy pulled a pocketknife from his leather jacket and flicked it open, more people stepping out from ally ways around him.

"You should really get that nose looked at." Inuyasha said smugly. "Or what's left of it, though even the plastic surgeons might not be able to do anything about it."

The boy sniffed. Inuyasha had never found out his name, and he didn't need to. This time he was going to go for an eye. Maybe the prick would leave him alone if he couldn't see well enough. Every time they fought, Inuyasha won, and yet, the ringleader kept coming back for more.

"Get him." The boy said quietly. At once, twenty boys charged the two from all sides, some bearing knives and others just brass knuckles or large rocks.

Inuyasha was about to tell Miroku to get the hell out of there, when Miroku's foot snaked around his leg and pulled a metal pole on the ground towards him. Inuyasha laughed. They were going to fight.

Miroku was good with a stick. His skills were nowhere near matching Inuyasha's, but it was definitely something, considering he was human. People gathered around the scene, pulling out their cell phones and calling police, friends, and ambulances. The Bikers went flying as Inuyasha and Miroku dealt with them, all sporting brand new bruises and cuts, some even broken limbs. Inuyasha loved to fight, but these pushovers were just a pain in the ass.

He liked to fight with his friend Bankotsu and Bankotsu's brother Jakotsu, and sometimes with his childhood friend Hiten.

Inuyasha started to cross the eight feet between himself the leader as the last Biker lackee fell. "Any last words?" he asked, tightening his fist, cracking a knuckle.

The leader looked around in almost a panic, his eyes finally resting on Inuyasha, and then on Miroku behind him, twirling the pole effortlessly in one hand. He gritted his teeth and reached into his pocket.

"Another knife?" Inuyasha began, freezing in his tracks when the boy pulled out a gun and aimed it straight at Inuyasha's chest.

Inuyasha didn't have time to blink before the boy said: "See you in hell." and pulled the trigger.

Inuyasha wrenched his eyes open. Sirens were blaring in his ears and what felt like hundreds of people were crowding him, touching him, poking at his chest where his left pectoral burned like he'd been stabbed, but he knew it was a different kind of wound.

"Can you hear me?" a voice asked, laying their hands on his forehead.

"I'm going to kill that bastard." Inuyasha spit, trying to push himself up. That boy was dead when he found him.

Hundreds of cries of "No!" and hands pushing him back down bombarded him. He still couldn't process anything, and his raging headache wasn't being helped by all of these sounds.

People were screaming. Tires screeched on the pavement. Inuyasha could hear, but everything was just a blur. The sounds of "We're loosing him!" echoed in his ears, but he couldn't register that they were talking about him.

"---can't help him any more here---"

"---get the stretcher---"

"---can you hear me?---"

"---don't close your eyes---"

"---stay with me---"

"---get the defibrillator!---"

Inuyasha knew what that was. It was a jolt of electricity sent through the heart to start it or regulate it. He could hear it powering up, and expected to feel pain, or fire, but none came.

"---clear!---"

"---didn't work---"

"---try again---"

"---clear!---"

"---still no?---"

"---try once more!---"

"---clear!---"

"---pulse is regular again---"

"---stay with us kid!---"

"---and up on three---"

The paramedics lifted the stretcher and secured it in the ambulance, slamming the doors as it careened off down the black roads. The police shoved a kicking boy into the back of a cruiser as the ambulance pulled out of sight.

"You better hope he doesn't sue." A cop told the boy.

"If he lives." The boy snarled and thrashed against his bonds, watching as the cops rounded up the ones in his gang that hadn't come around in time to get away.

Hospital

"20-human-year-old demon with two gun shots to the left pectoral, no other wounds." A man said, pushing Inuyasha's stretcher into the hands of a doctor and handing the man Inuyasha's report.

"Bullets?" the man asked, flipping through the pages quickly before setting it down.

"Didn't go through. He's a demon, so he's stronger, even after taking the shots point blank."

Inuyasha began to panic. He was in a hospital. They would ask for his name, address, family to contact… he freaked and started struggling.

"No, you're going to be fine!" a set of hands pushed him back down, but it took another six doctors to fully restrain him when he continued to fight them.

"You need to stop moving sir!" someone shouted. "You'll bleed out!"

Inuyasha slowed, he was loosing consciousness. What was going on? Where did he get hit anyway? Someone had said something about a lung, or the bullet missing it, but he didn't really know.

"O.R. three is open." A woman called.

"Get him in there fast, don't loose him!"

Inuyasha longed to hold his head as the stretcher rattled down the hallways. With people yelling left and right, his headache was about to kill him.

"Get the anesthesia!"

"He's a demon, so 30 milligrams should be good."

_30 milligrams? Holy crap, are they trying to kill me? They can't even figure out that I'm half demon?_ Inuyasha tried to turn his head to ask the doctor where he had been shot, but only a wet gurgle emerged from his mouth.

Inuyasha felt the pressure of the needle in his arm, and what was already blurry, went black.

Seven Hours and Two Surgeries Later

Inuyasha groaned and reached his hand up to tear the thing, the nasal mask or whatever it was, off his mouth. He flung it as far as he could away with his sore muscles.

"Oh, are you awake?" someone asked.

"No, I'm dead." He snapped sarcastically, pushing himself up into a sitting position and opened his eyes, closing them again when the sun coming through the open window blinded him. "Can't you shut that window?" he snarled.

"Of course sir." The man moved over to the window and pulled the shade down.

_Sir? So they don't know who I am yet. Miroku didn't come and ask for me then. I'll have to thank him when I get out of here._

"Sir?" a doctor stepped into the room, his hands in his pockets. He had a girl right behind him.

At first, Inuyasha blinked, and almost rubbed his eyes, because Kikyo was standing right in front of him, wearing scrubs and a white coat.

_No, Kikyo's in gymnastics, she isn't a doctor._ "You're giving me too much meds." He grumbled.

"Why is that sir?" the doctor asked, his head cocking slightly to the side in confusion.

_Because I'm hallucinating._ "Because my headache is going to kill me." He said instead.

"Well, that's normal." The doctor laughed, the girl behind him remained stationary. "You took two gunshots to your left pectoral that just barely grazed your lung, you'll feel sore for a while now. You had two surgeries, all by myself and doctor Higurashi, but you shouldn't need any more surgeries." He gestured to the girl behind him. "And doctor Higurashi will be tending to you, now, if you'll excuse me."

"Higurashi?"

The girl nodded and stepped forward, checking his chart and monitor before checking his IV.

_Then, she's not Kikyo._ Inuyasha sighed mentally.

"If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me." She smiled at him, changing his IV and setting his chart back down on the table.

"Doctor Higurashi? Do you know---"

"Kagome." She cut him off.

"Huh?"

"I hate Doctor Higurashi." She shivered playfully. "I'm only in college and it makes me feel like I'm fifty. I ask all of my patients to call me that."

"Ok then… well, do you know where I could get some food?"

"I'll have some sent up. You shouldn't be walking around yet." She smiled at him. "Mr.…?"

Inuyasha panicked. _I can't tell her my real name, my damn father or brother will hunt me down if they know I live around here._ "Uh, Inuyasha… Ningenteki." _I guess I'll go with mom's maiden name, keep it simple so I don't get lost in a lie._ (Ningenteki means human.)

"Ningenteki." Kagome repeated, writing it down on her chart and flipping it closed. "I'll have someone bring you up a menu."

Inuyasha slid back down into bed, checking the labels on his three IVs. They were all pain meds, so he pulled the needles from his arm. The sooner he was off them, the sooner he could escape and not have to worry about someone finding out his real name. He would have Miroku pay for it and then work to pay him back later.

"Kagome!" he called to her as he remembered something.

"Yes?" she asked, ducking back into his room.

"What would my bill be about now?"

"Oh, um, well, we'll get that figured out after you're released." She smiled a little confusedly at him.

"Yeah, just for, like right now."

"Um…" she flipped his chart open again and skimmed the contents quickly. "Right at this moment, your total is 14,250 dollars. If you don't have insurance we can work out a payment method."

Inuyasha gaped. With the cost of his living expenses, it would take him months to pay it back, even with his both of his jobs as a mechanic and a bouncer. Ah, hell, he might as well leave now before it gets any higher.

"Thanks." Inuyasha croaked, a little dazed from the insanely high price. Kagome nodded and walked away.

Presently someone came in with a menu, Inuyasha waved it away. "Not hungry." He mumbled. The girl shrugged and left.

He waited until she had left and then slid out of bed, making sure that the meds had worn of enough that he could stand without falling and giving himself another concussion. He padded over to the closet and found his clothes, slipping into the bathroom and making sure the door was locked behind him.

He yanked on his cargo jeans with some difficulty, pulling his red t-shirt over his head while simultaneously jamming a baseball hat over his ears. He stepped out of the bathroom, making sure that no one was watching as he stepped into his adidas sneakers, the stripes red. He tapped the toe on the floor to get them on right and checked the closet to make sure that nothing else of his was there.

He poked his head out of his door, his ears swiveling to make sure that no one was looking before making a dash for the stairwell. He almost yelled out loud as the pain in his chest hit him like a sludge hammer. He'd taken hits before, and learned how to cut stitches because of previous hospital escapes, but it felt like acid was being rubbed into the wound.

He jumped down the stairs a flight at a time, poking his head around the corner to see how many people were in the main lobby. Jeez, what hospital was he in anyway? The crowd here was enough to pack a jumbo jet to the brim.

He groaned and reached for the handle, pulling his hat brim down over his eyes, walking quickly to the door and not stopping to look back to see if he was being followed until he was six blocks away.

He groaned. God his chest hurt. He pressed a hand to it, but not enough to make it noticeable or suspicious as he made his way to Miroku's, turning when he smelled hospital coats.

"Shit." He hissed, smelling his doctor come running out of the hospital, the man yelled for some people to look that way while he checked the other direction. This was bad, his hair was a dead give away. Inuyasha started walking faster and ran into the first barbershop he saw.

"Good day sir---" the man started.

"I need a dye job." Inuyasha cut him off, sitting in the chair and checking to make sure he had enough cash. He did, but barely. "Black, and make it fast."

"You get lots of old jokes or something?" the man chuckled, throwing the cloth over Inuyasha and getting out the black dye.

"Something like that." Inuyasha nodded. "But seriously, make it fast."

"Hot date?" the man asked, lining up his equipment. "I can go an hour at the minimum."

"Do that." Inuyasha muttered. "But I do have a date in 50 minutes…"

"Well, then I better get started." The man said, opening the bottle. Inuyasha gagged. Good lord that smell was strong. "Not good planning on your part, though I you ask me." the man chided.

"Tell me about it." Inuyasha muttered.

45 Minutes Later

Inuyasha placed his 95 dollars on the counter and managed to dig up another five for a tip. He jammed his baseball hat over his ears and checked the mirror. When you couldn't see his ears, he looked human, like on the night of the new moon. He nodded thanks and walked out, going in the opposite direction from the smell of hospital coats.

He ran up to Miroku's dorm building and jumped up the stairs, rapping his best friend's door.

"What?" Miroku snapped from inside.

"Me." Inuyasha called. Miroku pulled open the door, yawning and scratching his head like an ape.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" he accused. "Couldn't you have waited a day to do a jail break?"

Inuyasha escaping hospitals wasn't new to him by a long shot. Then he registered what he was looking at. "What did you do to your hair?"

"Dyed it." Inuyasha said flatly.

"No crap." Miroku muttered, the sighed loudly. "How much do you need?" he said finally.

"14,250." Inuyasha returned apologetically.

Miroku blinked. "Seriously?" he verified, groaning when Inuyasha nodded.

"I'm going to pay you back." Inuyasha snapped.

"You always do." Miroku muttered, handing him some cash. Inuyasha grabbed an envelope and stuffed it in the envelope, scribbling `Inuyasha Ningenteki's bill' on the front.

"Thanks." He mumbled and walked out the door.

"See you at The Dancer tomorrow." Miroku muttered through a yawn, talking about the club they both worked at. Miroku was a bar tender, unlike Inuyasha's bouncer job. Miroku got to serve girls alcohol while Inuyasha got to throw drunk, sometime armed, 80 year old men out the back door.

"Yeah, yeah." Inuyasha sighed.

Half an hour later he was back outside the hospital. Dawn was just peaking over the horizon, it was light enough that he had to be careful. He dashed to the side of the building and jumped up, grabbing the emergency latter and swinging himself up. He looked into each room on that side of the hospital until he found his scent in one of the rooms. He dropped the envelope inside so the person changing the beds heard the thunk against the floor and turned. Inuyasha jumped down, collapsing momentarily when his wound felt like it had been stabbed. He scooted himself under the latter so the person leaning out the window looking for him wouldn't see him.

Inuyasha pushed himself to his feet and ran the second the person disappeared back inside the room. He would go home and take some Valium and sleep for the entire day until he had to wake up to go work at The Dancer.

He only worked as a mechanic from seven to four on weekdays, but he worked at the Dancer the entire week. Thank god it was Saturday, he needed to sleep.

He furrowed his brow. _Why the heck did that Kagome look so much like Kikyo? Is fate trying to torture me?_ He rolled his eyes. Of course, fate hated him.


	2. Chapter 2

Reasons to Quit

Kagome ran as fast as he could, her sneakers pounding against the pavement. She was so late, it wasn't even funny. Stupid Sango, keeping her up half the night with her fanatics about her stupid tournament. Kagome had been happy for her, but wasn't so thrilled about it when Sango was still ranting about it at four in the morning.

Kagome turned to the sound of sirens, and saw a huge car crash, six or seven cars. She tore open her bag and grabbed her travel doctor's kit, running over to the site and through the crowd.

"Hey miss, I can't let you through." A policeman put his hand in front of her to stop her.

"I'm a doctor!" she yelled, pushing him aside. She ran to the man closest to her and checked his injuries, it was only a broken arm, so she moved onto the next one.

The woman was screaming as Kagome looked at the pole sticking out of her side, Kagome motioned for a police man come over and hold her down.

The man stepped up and held the woman's arms down as Kagome checked the position of the pole, determining that it was in her large intestine and giving the woman a quick shot of pain meds because it was too dangerous to pull it out. She turned to the next man and almost screamed.

Kagome's mind was frozen.

Her father.

Her father was lying on the ground, a huge gash in the side of his head that was bleeding freely. The only thing that snapped her out of her stupor was someone yelling: "Do something!"

Kagome leapt to his side and checked the gash as fast as she could. It was deep, really deep.

"Kagome?" he gasped, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

"Am here dad." She told him, holding back the tears that burned at her eyes. She gave him a shot of pain meds before cleaning his cut and applying pressure to try to stop the bleeding.

"There are others!" someone yelled.

Kagome reluctantly waved someone over to put pressure on her father's cut and moved onto the next woman, pulling a piece of glass from her arm and placing gauze over it, telling the bawling woman to hold it down and moved onto the next.

She crawled inside the car to the sound of a teen screaming, almost passing out at what she saw.

Rin was trapped in the backseat of one of the cars, the front seat had been thrust violently into her middle and was pining her in.

"Kagome," Rin whispered, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes, "it hurts, and I'm scared."

Kagome sighed loudly as she heard the sounds of rapidly approaching sirens and pulled some antibiotics liquid from her bag. "You're going to be fine." She whispered. "I'm not going to let you go anywhere." She couldn't let Rin die, she was too young, only in her first year of college. Not only that, but she was Kagome's best friend after Sango.

Kagome was pulled out of the car as the Jaws of Life started prying Rin out of the pile of crumpled metal. She whirled and returned to her father's side.

"Kagome, please move, we have to---"

"He's my father!" she yelled in desperation.

"Your…?" the paramedics woman asked, dumbstruck.

"Yes!" Kagome screamed in desperation.

"Get in the ambulance." The paramedic said quickly, pushing her father's stretcher into the back. Kagome nodded and climbed in, avoiding screaming and running people all the way.

Kagome tried to regulate her breathing the entire way, answering every question the woman had to throw at her. No allergies, previous broken leg from soccer, no previous head injuries, they lived at Sunset Shrine, her and Souta as kids, a wife and father-in-law living there, pet cat, drove a silver Toyota geo prizm, worked as salesman for car company…

Kagome ran out with him as the stretcher was pushed inside, yelling everything the thought might be helpful to the brain surgeon.

"Kagome, you're not allowed in on family surgeries!" the doctor told her, pushing her father down the hallway to an OR. "We called your mother, go wait for her in the front!"

Kagome couldn't move, she could only stand there, looking at where her father had disappeared. The hospital seemed to stop. People tried to usher her to the front of the hospital, but she wasn't looking at them, she was looking through them to where her father was. To where her father might be dying.

Fourteen Hours Later

Kagome couldn't have waited that long even if she'd wanted to. She couldn't have sat in the waiting room with her family for that long, no matter how much she might have tried. It's a doctor instinct, to always try to help anyone in danger, and when she wasn't even allowed to watch the operation, she had to find something else to save.

Kagome had searched the hospital and finally found her friend; she had wormed her way into Rin's surgery and had successfully reconstructed Rin's almost demolished liver, saving her from having to be put on the organ transplant list.

Kagome stood outside Rin's room, leaning against the doorframe and watching the young girl. Rin was going to be fine. Kagome took comfort in her being alive and fine. Watching her chest rise and fall with every breath that kept her alive longer. Rise, fall. Rise, fall. Rise, fall. Kagome didn't want to think about the brain surgeon and her father's operation. Doctor Urasue was as skilled as brain surgeons came, but even she wasn't a god. She couldn't save every life. It just wasn't humanly possible, or demonly possible in this case.

Kagome finally left to walk back to the waiting room, running when she caught sight of one of the nurses that had been working with Doctor Urasue.

The nurse stopped and looked Kagome in the eye, her mother walking up behind her, Souta and her grandpa had gone for some food.

"We did everything we could," the nurse began. Kagome's heart drowned out everything else. She had said those words hundreds of times after an unsuccessful surgery, when the patient… hadn't…

Kagome fell, her head smashing against the cold floor. She didn't care. The tears leaked from her eyes, and the salt stung the fresh cut on the back of her head, but she didn't care. She knew the cut would need stitches, but she didn't want to move. The ceiling tiles she was staring at couldn't move, they couldn't feel, or love… she wished she was a ceiling tile so that the pain in her heart would stop.

Three Weeks Later

Kagome had almost dropped out of college. She couldn't bear the pain of returning to the hospital every day, especially after her father's funeral when it had really clicked that her father was dead, he was never coming back. He could never hug her again, or congratulate her on an especially good grade, or help her with a back-handspring. He could never smile at her again.

And today was the day. She trudged into the hospital and walked up to her administrator, ignoring all of the quiet `hi's she received from people.

"You better hurry Kagome." The man smiled at her apologetically. "You don't want to be late."

"I'm not getting changed." Kagome shook her head.

"If you need some more vacation, then just say so sweet heart, it's perfectly understandable."

"It's not vacation, I'm not coming back chief." Kagome looked him in the eye, the staff going silent around her.

"But Kagome---" the chief tried to reason.

"No." Kagome cut him off. "I can't stand coming in here every day, it hurts to much."

"Well we can easily get you in a program at another hospital." He tried to reason with her, knowing how much she loved medicine, or used to love it.

"No, I can't do it any more, I can't be in here with people dying every hour." Kagome shook her head. "I'm quitting the program, I'm not going to work in the medical field any more."

"Kagome…" he started, in an almost pleading way, but Kagome just shook her head again, "well, we'll miss you." He said quietly, giving her a small hug, watching her walk out of the hospital for the last time.

Sango was waiting outside the hospital to catch Kagome up into a hug, holding her and letting her longest time friend cry into her shirt.

"What am I going to do now?" Kagome sobbed. "I couldn't be a doctor, so what am I going to do?" she wailed, begging Sango to comfort her with an answer.

"Kagome, I can't answer that for you." Sango said gently, rocking her so it was almost unnoticeable.

"You want to be a judo instructor and be in competitions, but what would you do if you hurt yourself and couldn't?" Kagome urged desperately.

Sango sighed, considering. "I would do what I always wanted to do, what made me happiest after Judo."

Kagome thought about that. She loved to swim, but she wasn't good enough at it to make it into a profession. What else did she love to do? That was a no-brainer. She loved dancing and gymnastics more than anything else, it was even above nursing on her list of wanted jobs. She even went as far as to dance with Sango's judo knife and sword. She loved the feeling of flying as she did flips and loved the feeling of being nothing as she spun herself.

"Hey, why don't we go for a drink?" Sango suggested, pulling Kagome up to look her in the eye. Kagome nodded meekly, brushing her tears away.

"Bring your new boyfriend too." Kagome sniffed. "I want to meet him, finally."

Sango smirked at her friend and nodded.

That Night

Kagome stood outside The Dancer waiting for Sango and her boyfriend Miroku to show. She was holding a place in line for them, but if they didn't get here soon, she would have to go in without them.

"Kagome!" Sango called. Kagome waved back, then blinked as Sango slapped the man because he appeared to have put his hand on her butt. There's no way he could have done that. Kagome shook her head mentally. Sango would have killed him by now, or just dumped him on the side of the road. He wouldn't be her boyfriend.

"Hey Kagome." Sango stepped up to her. "This is Miroku, my boyfriend."

"No kidding." Kagome said, sort of shocked and mostly to herself.

"A pleasure." Miroku took Kagome's hand and kissed her fingertips, smiling at her weirded-out face, and then at Sango's glaring face. "There's no one but you my dear." Miroku assured her, wrapping his arm around her waist. "I was simply being polite."

Sango blushed at his words, but didn't say anything else. Kagome couldn't help but giggle behind her hand at her expression.

The usher waved them in and Kagome nodded her thanks and fixed her black skirt and sequined tank top before stepping in, a wave of heat, alcohol and blasting music hit her in the face like a tidal wave.

"I'll go get something to drink." Miroku said absently. "And I have to find a friend. He works here, and I thought I'd say hi." He walked off after pecking Sango's cheek, making her go even redder.

"Shall we?" Kagome bowed playfully at Sango, her hands towards the dance floor.

Sango laughed and took Kagome's hand, pretending to curtsy before pulling Kagome out onto the dance floor. Kagome closed her eyes and fell into step with the music, creating her own mix of gymnastics, ballet and modern dancing. She flowed with the music, she didn't just move. She melted into the beat and let her mind go black, forgetting about all of her worries as she danced, doing to occasional twirl, leap or swirl of her hips, although most of the time, she was so lost in the music that she didn't even know how she was dancing.

She went to the gym and got on the bar or the beam when she was angry, but she danced when she was happy or just needed to forget and be nothing but a being, one with the beat.

Meanwhile

"Strange." Renkotsu muttered, handing Miroku his drinks.

"Huh?" Miroku asked, balancing them on a tray.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I find it strange that you want to be served drinks at the bar you usually work at." Renkotsu smirked, leaning on the bar. Miroku rolled his eyes at his co-worker and went to go find an unoccupied table.

He looked around for Sango next and headed for the stairs when he saw him up on the VIP balcony, the place with the best view of the DJ.

VIP Balcony

Inuyasha blinked again, staring down at the girl on the dance floor. He had definitely seen her somewhere. Don't ask me how Inuyasha could forget someone that looked so much like his technical fiancé, but being Inuyasha, he did.

"Hey." Miroku walked up behind him, punching him hard in the shoulder with his fist.

"Ow!" Inuyasha snapped, rubbing his bruised arm. "What was that for?"

"Who you staring at?" Miroku asked, completely ignoring Inuyasha's attitude. "Is she hot?" he asked next, raising his eyebrows lecherously.

"Who's everyone staring at?" Bankotsu asked, walking up next to them and leaning on the balcony railing. Inuyasha groaned loudly.

Bankotsu, and his three younger brothers, Jakotsu, Renkotsu, and Suikotsu were quadruplets that all worked at the Dancer full time. Inuyasha knew them through competitions. He and Bankotsu fought often to win metals, or to just burn off steam. Bankotsu and Suikotsu worked as bouncers with Inuyasha, while Renkotsu and Jakotsu worked with Miroku behind the bar.

"Why are you always so loud?" Bankotsu asked calmly, not even bothering to look at Inuyasha because he had grown so used to his friend's temper. Inuyasha only growled in response.

"Hey, isn't that…?" Bankotsu asked slowly, pointing at Kagome.

"No, Kikyo's hair is longer." Inuyasha said gruffly.

"Well," Miroku straightened up and headed for the stairs, "Sango's waiting, and she brought some friend of hers. I better get back down."

Bankotsu wolf-whistled playfully, earning a glare that he easily ignored.

"Who do you think we're going to get to throw out tonight?" Bankotsu asked Inuyasha.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Koga hopefully."

"Nah." Bankotsu shook his head. "He never gets drunk, he can hold his alcohol too well."

"I know." Inuyasha moped. He was friends with Koga, but the two fought like they were the Russians and Americans during the cold war.

Inuyasha winced and rubbed his chest. He hadn't been able to cut the stitches, they'd been tied to tightly, probably because of how deep the gunshot had been. Great, at this rate his skin would heal over the stitches and he would have a stabbing pain there for the rest of his life.

"I'm going down." He mumbled almost to no one, jamming his hands into his loose jeans pockets. His adidas sneakers scuffing against the floor as he walked.

"By the way." Bankotsu called after him. "The black hair looks good, you almost can't tell that you're a Takahashi."

"Feh."

The Takahashi's hair was signature. Inuyasha, his father, his half-brother, and even his half-brother's mother all had snow white hair that they were born with; it wasn't from age or being struck by lightening.

In the end, Inuyasha wasn't sure why he hadn't dyed it the second he ran away from home. If he someone was trying to look for him, wouldn't they look for his hair first?

Inuyasha didn't know why he wanted to be close to her, it must have been some dumb Kikyo attachment thing, yeah, that was it. He just felt like he was being pulled towards her, like some sort of magnetic force.

Kagome toe's traced across the floor as she spun, her loose ebony hair cascading over his shoulders. She had drifted from a ballet and modern mix to mostly using her toes and ankles in the next dance. She flew across the floor and in between the people in the crowd.

Kagome opened her eyes for a brief moment to make sure she wasn't going to hit the bar, and saw him. He was a bouncer, from the look of his muscles and t-shirt with the Dancer logo on the front.

Haven't I seen him before?

"Kagome!" Sango called through the people. "Miroku got us a table, let's go have our drinks!"

Kagome looked away from Sango, looking for that man again, but only the bar tender stood in his place. She sighed in frustration and followed Sango back, desperate to know who he was. It was another doctor thing, because science could explain almost everything in medicine practices, anything that was a mystery nearly killed doctors.

"Have fun dancing?" Sango teased, sitting very close to Miroku. Kagome just laughed her off and took a huge gulp of her drink to quench her thirst and parched thirst. She continued to look around for the man, but saw nothing.

1 Minute, 43 Seconds Earlier

Inuyasha ducked behind the bar as she turned back to him. It had clicked, she was the doctor who had worked on him, Kagome Higurashi. And if she recognized him, he was on a one-way train back to the hospital in a straight jacket because of a puny phone call to the hospital's front desk.

Renkotsu chuckled. "Since when are you afraid of girls? Don't---!" he said quickly when Inuyasha tried to defend himself. "I saw you making gaga eyes at her, don't act like you were looking at the person beyond her. What's going on anyway? I thought you hated Kikyo."

"That's not her, she was one of my doctors." Inuyasha said bitterly, Renkotsu always knew which of his buttons to push to get him angry.

"From which visit? I lost count after the thirty-seventh." Renkotsu returned with a smirk. "And I didn't know you hit on your nurses." Inuyasha growled at him menacingly, cursing under his breath when he turned back around to find that she was gone. Jakotsu laughed quietly at their spat, pouring Inuyasha a shot of straight gin that he downed easily.

Inuyasha stood and looked around. The stupid club was drowning out her scent, so he couldn't track her. He had to be really careful tonight.

Kagome pulled Miroku and Sango into the dance floor and pushed their hands together, leaving them in a spin while she searched for that man, but she had to laugh at Sango's blush first.

Kagome approached one of the bartenders, the one with his brown hair held up in a small twist with a pin. "Excuse me, do you know a man who works here? He's---"

"I know `em all sweetheart." The man said, leaning toward her and smiling nicely. "How can I help?"

"Well, I'm looking for a man with black hair down past his waist---" she said, gesturing behind her.

"Down or braided?" the man cut her off.

"Huh?" Kagome had missed the question from the suddenness in which it had been asked.

"Is it down or in a braid? I know two guys here with black hair that long." The man verified.

"Oh, uh, down."

"You'd be looking for Inuyasha then." The man pointed to a back corner, where Inuyasha was standing. Then it hit Kagome over the head like a block of dry ice. Inuyasha Ningenteki, the guy who had gotten shot twice and then sprung himself from the hospital an hour after his surgeries, coming back later to pay his bill. His hair was black now, but he had the same dog-ears and golden eyes.

"Cute, isn't he?" the bartender smirked.

"Hey!" the man called as Kagome nodded thanks and headed off towards him. "He doesn't like to be hit on, just so you know. But so he wont bite your head off, tell him Jakotsu sent you if he blows up, which is very likely to happen."

"Thanks." Kagome said, still walking. "But I'm not going to try and pick him up." _Those stitches could be infected, they've been in a really long time for a demon… if he hasn't taken them out yet._

"You have been warned." Jakotsu called to her, and then prepared a drink for Inuyasha just incase they needed to sedate him. That girl looked a little too much like Kikyo for his comfort, so he purposefully added too much alcohol.

"Funny." Renkotsu chuckled, walking up behind Jakotsu. "He was just staring at her not three minutes ago."

"Hmph." Jakotsu huffed jealously. Renkotsu rolled his eyes at his quadruplet.

"Uh, Inuyasha…" Suikotsu said slowly, pointing behind Inuyasha. Inuyasha turned confusedly to meet that Kagome's eyes. Eyes that were moving closer by the second.

"Crap." He muttered, grabbing a case of empty beer bottles and practically running to the truck in the back.

Kagome began to almost jog, holding her bag against her side. " 'Scuse me? Where did Inuyasha go? I need to talk to him." She said quickly, looking around for his no longer visible form.

"Yeah, he just went out back to the truck with some empties." Suikotsu jabbed his thumb over his shoulder.

"Thanks." Kagome said, dashing off down the stairs.

Bankotsu waited until she was out of hearing range before turning to Suikotsu. "You're evil."

"I know." Suikotsu smirked wickedly.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called, running out to the just starting truck. Inuyasha swore mentally and revved the truck, but not before Kagome latched herself to his door, holding onto the handle on the inside through the window.

"What?" he barked, making Kagome draw back slightly, but not let go of his door.

"Why'd you run from the hospital?" she demanded, as if it affected her personally.

"What d'you care?" he snapped, revving the engine again, trying to scare her into letting go, but killed the motor when she held on tighter and yanked the key out, throwing it down on the seat.

"Do you have any idea how much more you could've hurt yourself?" she half yelled. "With infections or… or plagues?" _Ok, the plague is overkill, but how else am I supposed to get it through his thick skull?_

"I'm a half demon, ok? I'm already completely healed!"

"You cut the stitches yourself?" Kagome asked suddenly, placing her fingers over his chest.

Inuyasha couldn't help the jolt of energy that flowed from her small fingers through his veins as she laid her hand on his chest, but he quickly shook it off. "What the hell are you---"

"You're healed…" Kagome cut him off, "but you didn't cut the stitches?" she looked him in the eye, then Inuyasha realized that she had been feeling for the thread still embedded in his skin through his shirt.

"You should've at least stayed to get them out." Kagome muttered, annoyed that he put himself in danger of hurting himself by not getting them out and dug around in her bag for something.

Inuyasha's breathing accelerated.

_---And if she recognized him, he was on a one-way train back to the hospital in a straight jacket because of a puny phone call to the hospital's front desk.---_

"I'm not going back!" he yelled loudly, not caring who heard him. He pushed her back to throw open the truck door.

Back where?" Kagome asked, nervously backing up to the wall because of his outburst.

"I'm through with hospitals! Don't even.. think of…" he stopped as she pulled out a pair of medical scissors instead of a cell phone or a pager.

"I was just going to cut the sutures." She said quietly, looking around for a weapon to use if he advanced on her more.

"You were…?" he repeated, staring like an idiot at the scissors. Kagome nodded.

She reached back into her bag and pulled out a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide and some cotton balls. "Do you want to sit or…?" she gestured to the steps. Inuyasha moved robotically over to the steps and almost fell back against them. _She's not forcing me back._ He almost smiled from just that thought.

"Um…" Kagome hinted, tugging lightly at his shirt. He blushed deeply, but pulled his shirt over his head.

Kagome got on one knee to inspect it. "Doesn't look too bad." She muttered to herself. _I caught the infection early, it's just barely going red, so he'll be fine._

She unscrewed the top of the hydrogen peroxide and poured some on her hands, rubbing them together until they were dry, then she cleaned the scissors with the liquid and a cotton ball, placing another cotton ball on the top of the bottle and tipping it upside down to soak it, rubbing Inuyasha's healed wound with it, not noticing his bright red face as she touched him.

"Um… thanks." He mumbled as she snipped the sutures, pulling the thread out and just dropping them on the ground.

Kagome smiled to herself. "No problem."


	3. Chapter 3

The New Dancer

Kagome pushed the door to the studio open. If she didn't make it here, where they were offering a scholarship for tutoring of dancing at this studio, then she would have to work at WacDonald's for the rest of her life. She silently prayed that they would like her, and stepped into the air-conditioned room.

"Are you here for the auditions?" the woman at the front desk asked her, not looking up from her scrabble game on the computer.

"Yes, where should I---"

"Through the second door on the left." The woman pointed with her pen, still not looking up. Kagome nodded confusedly and knocked on the door.

"Come in." a woman inside called. Kagome walked in a nodded before stepping into line with the other girls and started stretching.

As everyone finished up, the woman who had called Kagome in stood and clapped her hands. "Alright, firstly, I would like to know everyone's name, so I don't call you One, Two and so on."

Everyone went down the list and said their names, the head woman nodding when they were done. "And I am Wakana. It's nice to meet you all." She smiled. "Now, for try outs, everyone had made their routines to our tempo, right? Good, then let's begin." She continued when all of the girls nodded.

Kagome took her place and stepped into her starting position, waiting until Wakana hit the play button on the stereo, starting nothing but a rhythmic drum, guitar and flute trio. She slid out of her starting position and fell into her dance, letting her body have control over the dance and not her mind.

Half way through, the girl called Ai had already stumbled three times, and Kagome saw Wakana mark something on her paper. She marked another girl called Yuko off when she tried to do a very simple spin and fell.

When the music stopped, Wakana motioned for them to line up again and set her clipboard down. "Well, after much consideration, I have decided that only seven of you will move onto the next round."

Kagome's heart soared when she heard her name called, but reminded herself that only two girls got the scholarship so she didn't get too excited. The girls whose names hadn't been called slowly packed their bags and exited, thanking Wakana quietly as they left.

Wakana waved to them, and then turned back to the seven girls who had made it. "For this next round, you will do your same routine, but the music will be much faster paced, so you must figure out spare of the moment how to work your routine into the music."

Kagome slipped into her starting position again and waited. The tempo this time was at least five times faster than the last one, but Kagome had no difficulties, having danced her routine to all sorts of club music before. A few of the other girls weren't doing as well at it though, they needed the music to be a certain tempo and weren't able to alter their routines enough. One girl, Tsukiko, even left in the middle of the song after she had tripped for the second time, because she knew she wasn't going to make it.

Wakana motioned for them to line up again and she read off the names of the girls who had made it to the third round. "Midoriko, Kagome, and Nano. Congratulations girls." She smiled. The other four girls went up and shook her hand, then picked up their bags and left.

Kagome took several very deep breaths. She needed to stay calm! She needed to do this! She looked over to the other two girls, worrying about her chances a little. Midoriko was incredible, she hadn't made a single falter throughout the entire audition, not even one tiny one that Wakana hadn't noticed. Nano had been almost as good, she had made one mistake, but Wakana hadn't noticed because it had been so small.

"You will all do your second routine for this song, as I requested, it requires gymnastics or aerobics, so I hope you all included what you could." She stepped up to the boom box and hit the play button, starting a series of upbeat notes from a guitar, flute, drums, base and another Asian wind instrument that Kagome couldn't identify.

Kagome flew in the music, she loved it! She flipped and flowed with the music, her heart spluttering with delight every time the music did a particularly complex series of notes. She peaked over to look at the other dancers to see their routines, and sucked in a breath when Nano stuck her foot out deliberately when Wakana was watching Kagome to kick Midoriko's foot out from under her.

Midoriko looked like she was about to cry when Wakana saw the stumble, because it shattered her chances right there, unless Kagome or Nano did an unbelievably stupid fall or mistake in the three remaining minutes.

Kagome did the rest of her routine, but her heart wasn't in it like before. She only finished it to finish it because of her chances for the scholarship.

After the music had stopped, Midoriko was biting back the tears that stung at her eyes as they lined up, Nano looking incredibly smug.

"Midoriko, you did very well, but Nano and Kagome will receive the scholarships from the studio. Welcome to the performers girls." She smiled at them in turn.

Kagome put her things in her bag as if she were on autopilot, and not excitedly like she should have been. Wakana put the CD back in its case and waited for them to leave s she stood over against the mirrored wall. Nano left first, but Kagome waited until Midoriko had left too before she approached Wakana.

"Um, Wakana, can I talk to you about something?" Kagome began nervously.

"Absolutely, and congratulations on your win." Wakana smiled.

"Thank you, and about that win, there's something you should know…" she gulped, "I saw Nano trip Midoriko, when you were watching me."

Wakana closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, as if she were furious. "Is that the truth? You aren't Midoriko's friend and you aren't doing her a favor?"

"No, today is the first time I've met Midoriko." Kagome shook her head.

Wakana nodded. "See if you can go catch them two." She said quietly, nodding at the door. Kagome nodded and ran out the front door, tapping Midoriko on the shoulder as they passed.

"Wakana wants to see you!" Kagome yelled back to her as she raced off down the street after Nano, running faster and calling her name when she spotted her walking.

"Oh, Kagome, congratulations on your win." Nano smiled at her, as if she were warning Kagome that she was next on her hit list.

"Actually, Wakana wants to see you." Kagome pointed back towards the studio.

"She probably just wants to tell us about our schedule right now, let's go." Nano smiled seductively at her.

"Sure." Kagome smiled back, trying to hide the seething anger behind her eyes.

Kagome held the door open for Nano as she walked back I, head held high like a queen.

"Ah, there you are." Wakana smiled almost dangerously at her. Midoriko was sitting on the floor next to her with tears threatening to spill over.

"Nano, there had been a problem, and I need you two to do your last routine over."

"What? Why?" Nano said, clearly surprised and worried.

"I'll start the music, if you two will go to opposite sides of the room." Wakana said, stepping over her question as she walked to the CD player. The two girls took their places by the bars and waited.

Kagome sat back as she watched them dance. Midoriko's routine was entrancing. Every step and twirl was filled to the brim with grace and perfection. And while Nano's was pretty too, her dance gave off an aura of trying too hard or trying just to win.

Wakana watched them both, and then stopped the music half way through. "Yes, I was clearly mistaken. Midoriko, you and Kagome will take the scholarship."

"What?" Nano wailed. "But why?"

"Because at this studio, we choose the best for their skills and love for the art, whether it be playing the piccolo, painting, singing, writing music or dancing to it. We do not choose students for what they will be willing to do to win."

Nano blushed a deep shade of red and quickly ran from the room, leaving the door wide open as she went. Wakana sighed and walked over to shut it. "I apologize for that Midoriko, I wasn't paying enough attention."

"It's really alright." Midoriko beamed at her, and then turned to Kagome. "Thank you." She whispered, knowing what Kagome did. Kagome nodded and then picked up her bags and left the room, nodding to both girls as she went.

Kagome did a huge leap outside and then stepped into a flip. Sango ran up to her and grabbed her hands. "Did you get it?" she practically yelled.

"You waited this whole time?" Kagome asked apologetically.

"Of course!" Sango said, waving the apology off. "Well, did you? Or are you being asked to the next audition?"

"No, I got in!" Kagome squealed, crushing Sango in a bear hug that Sango returned with twice as much strength, until Kagome couldn't breathe, that is.

"Come on." Sango took her hand. "It's seven, lets go eat, and the we'll go out and celebrate."

"By dancing?" Kagome asked jokingly, but hopefully too.

"What else?" Sango laughed, pulling Kagome into a run until they reached the bus stop.

After Dinner

"Where to?" Kagome asked, following Sango out of the restaurant.

"To the Dancer?" Sango asked. "It's your favorite." She said in a sing-song voice.

"Oh, I have to go visit Rin first, she's getting out of the hospital today, and I want to make sure that she got home safely."

"I doubt she had any trouble, you know how strong she can be." Sango said jokingly.

"Me either, come on, her house isn't that far from here." Kagome pointed.

"What, and I don't know where her house is?" Sango said, pretending to be horridly offended. "Kidding, let's go."

Rin's Apartment

"You sure you don't need anything?" Kagome asked again as Sango inspected Rin's massive scars on her lower abdomen. They were fading, but very slowly.

"I'm sure!" Rin groaned playfully. "I'm just going to sleep. It's not like I'll be needing a new pair of sneakers for the marathon I'll running at ten tonight. Seriously, you guys just go and have fun! Sango, don't do anything you'll regret later with Miroku,"

Sango blushed deeper than she ever had, floundering around desperately for a comeback, but Rin started talking first, "Kagome, find yourself a cute boyfriend. You have too much free time, and find one for me while you're at it. I'm about to have way too much time on my hands because of these stupid doctor's orders to stay in bed for two weeks."

Kagome couldn't help but laugh. Rin was always quick when it came to embarrassing people. "Alright, alright. Go to sleep already."

Rin stuck her tongue out as she waved them off, grabbing a book from her stack of two thousand by the bed as they closed the door behind them.

"I love her." Kagome sighed, still laughing from Rin's last comment.

"Oh no!" Sango yelled as they saw the bus pulling up to the bus stop. They still had a block to go.

The girls turned to each other and said simultaneously: "Race you." Before streaking off down the sidewalk.

The Dancer

Secretly, Kagome wondered if Inuyasha would be at the club tonight, and she would never admit it, even to herself, but she hoped that he was.

"Rin's right Kagome." Sango said calmly, her hands folded behind her head as they waited in line.

"Huh?" Kagome turned to her.

"You should find a boyfriend."

"What?" Kagome shrieked.

"You should." Sango shrugged. "Miroku?" she asked suddenly.

Kagome rotated to see Sango's boyfriend walking towards them, waving. Kagome and Sango waved back, Miroku pecking Sango's cheek as he stepped into line.

"What are you doing here---" Miroku began.

"Hey!" someone from further back in line yelled. "You think we've been waiting twenty minute to be cut? Back of the line is down here!"

"I hope you don't mind sir." Miroku said calmly. "It was nice for my girlfriend to hold my spot in line, wasn't it? Thank you Sango." He nodded at her, she nodded back hesitantly.

"Girlfriend, my ass, you're probably just using her to get in line." The man's date huffed.

"Sango…" Miroku gripped her shoulders, spinning her towards him. He looked deep into her eyes and moved closer. Kagome turned around, she was already red enough as it was. When she turned back, Sango looked like one of those kids' book characters with the tomato head and the human body. She couldn't even look up from the ground she was so embarrassed. Meanwhile, Miroku was standing with his arm around her shoulders, beaming like he had never kissed her like that before. Which is probably true. Kagome deduced as she took a second look at Sango.

"Go on." The man at the front door waved them in. They thanked him and walked in.

"So you never told us what you were doing here." Kagome pointed out, noticing that Sango was still too red to do anything but be led to a chair and continue to stare at the floor.

"Remember? I said that my friend works here, and I work here too, behind the bar." Miroku pointed out, taking Sango's hand as she sat down.

"Oh." Kagome blinked, her face deadpanning as she looked at her best friend.

"Good job." Kagome muttered, inspecting Sango from where she stood. "She's catatonic. Brilliant."

Miroku laughed. "She'll be fine after a drink. Here." He handed Kagome some money and sent her off in the direction of the bar, pulling up a chair next to Sango and sitting down.

Kagome walked over to the bar and set her money down on the counter.

"Hey, you were the girl eyeing Inuyasha from a few days ago." The bartender said, walking over to her and leaning on the counter. He was wearing a scarf over his head tied near the nape of his neck, the rest of the cloth hanging to his shoulder blades. Kagome blushed heavily.

"I was not eyeing him." She said defensively.

"Whatever," he shrugged, clearly not believing, "what can I get you?"

"What do you suggest for someone that's catatonic?" Kagome asked.

"Usually a trip to the hospital works." He smirked, she rolled her eyes, but he cut her off before she could speak. "I can get you a Blue Demon, they're quite strong. We use them to wake drunk people that have passed out, or if we catch drugged girls being dragged out, we call the cops for the drugger and then blast `em awake with this."

"Maybe not that strong, she's only severely embarrassed." Kagome's eye twitched.

"Well, then, how about a Hot Camille? Named after my brother's first girlfriend. She could really pack a punch into a slap if she wanted to, these are good for friends who're trying to snap their love-struck friends out of a stupor. They're tasty too."

"Perfect." Kagome smiled.

The man smiled and turned, pulling several bottles off of the shelf, pouring a portion of each liquid into a bottle all by estimation. He put a plastic cap over the top and shook the glass, the liquid turning an appealing cherry-red color.

"That looks good." Kagome noted.

"I wouldn't try it." The man smirked, setting the glass down in front of her and removing the top. "It's really strong, you might not be able to eat anything for the rest of the night if you aren't catatonic." He said, using the word she had used to describe Sango.

Kagome nodded unsurely, she hoped it wasn't dangerous… in the least.

"Here." Kagome handed the glass to Miroku, he set it down in front of Sango and tapped her hand. She reached for the glass as Kagome turned to leave, walking out into the middle of the dance floor.

Kagome remembered the feeling of how she had felt after Wakana had congratulated her and told her that she had gotten into the studio program. She pooled the feeling into her arms and legs, waiting for the next song to start and let herself go, flying across the dance floor and through the people.

Meanwhile

"Hiding from girls again?" Bankotsu asked, coming up behind Inuyasha, who was presently hiding behind the bar to watch Kagome with an almost awe. She and Kikyo were so much alike, it was baffling.

"I am not." Inuyasha growled. Bankotsu laughed.

"Why don't you go ask her to dance?" Bankotsu suggested.

"Wha---? No way!" Inuyasha barked, jumping up to stare Bankotsu in the eye.

"You owe her a thank you." Bankotsu pointed out, jabbing Inuyasha's chest where the stitches had been.

"I…" Inuyasha began, trying to find some reason to snap at the oldest quadruplet, but he couldn't think of anything. And in truth, he did know that he owed the doctor a thank you.

"Feh." Inuyasha huffed and stomped off through the crowd to the dancer that everyone seemed to be watching in wonder.


	4. Chapter 4

Small Mistakes Lead To Bigger Ones

Inuyasha stomped toward Kagome as if he were on a crusade order, slowing as he got closer, because for once, he realized just how much of an idiot he had been.

What am I doing? He asked himself.

You do owe her a thank you. The voice in his head countered.

Shut it. Inuyasha almost spat, out loud yet.

Well, you do.

What the hell does that have to do with asking her to dance? He barked mentally.

Too late. The voice said smugly.

Huh?

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha looked own to see Kagome looking him in the eye. In the time of his conversation with himself, he had crossed the floor, wedged his way through people, walked right up to Kagome, and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Uh…" Inuyasha stuttered.

I hate you. He told himself.

You'll thank me later. It returned.

"What is it?" Kagome asked, her deep brown eyes mesmerizing him until he couldn't even remember his own name. Off in the corner, Bankotsu slapped his hand over his eyes and dragged it down the length of his face. Inuyasha was an idiot.

"Well…" Inuyasha said again, and then just stuck his hand out, offering her a dance non-verbally.

Kagome had to fight herself pretty damn hard to not laugh at his embarrassed expression, and then to not blush when she realized how cute he looked embarrassed. She looked up to his face, her eyes catching in his deep topaz eyes. They were enchanting, there was no other word to describe the effect the color and depth had on her. She prayed to god that her face wasn't as visibly hot as she felt right then.

She nodded and took his hand, agreeing non-verbally.

Miroku squeezed through the crowd and placed his hand on the DJ's shoulder.

"How about a slow song?" he whispered.

"You crazy? This is a dance club, not some slut's swing-joint. People don't want slow songs." The man scoffed.

"Do you know Bankotsu and Suikotsu?" Miroku asked innocently.

"Who doesn't?" the man asked, rolling his eyes. "Bankotsu and Inuyasha are the best bouncers on the entire west-coast, and Suikotsu right behind them. You'd have to be pretty damn stupid to work in a bar and not know them."

"Well, Bankotsu would really like Inuyasha to get hooked up with this girl, and to do that, Inuyasha really needs the right mood." Miroku hinted.

"So?" the man asked.

"Does he look happy?" Miroku pointed. The man's face went white when his eyes met the devils. His face regained a little bit of color as he realized that they were only Bankotsu's, but not that much color.

"A-alright." The man nodded.

"Good." Miroku patted him on the back and walked away as a slow song with a good beat started playing, perfect for a dance club.

Inuyasha looked up in confusion as a song he would never have expected to be played here in a thousand years started playing. His head whipped around and found the culprit. A low growl rolled off his tongue as he glared daggers at Miroku.

"I love this song." Kagome sighed.

"What?" Inuyasha looked back down at her.

"This song is so pretty to begin with, and it's one of the few songs that I can really dance like I'm nothing to." She smiled, her eyes closing.

"You dance?" Inuyasha spluttered. What is with her? How much more is she going to be like Kikyo?

"I love to dance. Actually, I quit my hospital job to take up a profession in dancing." Kagome nodded.

"So you like this song, huh?" he asked.

"It's my favorite." She nodded, her eyes closed.

This was mom's favorite song too. Inuyasha looked at Kagome. The similarities were starting to scare him, but Kagome was intriguing, and gorgeous too. One of the biggest differences he had noticed between this girl and Kikyo was there eyes. Sure, they had the same color eyes, but Kagome's held life, where as Kikyo's were cold and almost business-like.

Just like my old man and damn brother. He thought disgustedly.

About Forty Feet Away

Sango looked anxiously over the crowd of people in Kagome's direction.

"Sango, sit down and relax. Kagome will be fine, Inuyasha's all bite and no bark." Miroku tugged on her hand, rolling his eyes at how unnecessarily protective Sango and Kagome were of each other.

He supposed it was understandable. Kagome had been there when Sango had lost her mother and father, and then when her little brother ran away from home because it was too painful for him; and Kagome had continued to be with her over the years as Kohaku hadn't come home, and as Sango had searched for him. So now Sango was here for Kagome.

"That's not it!" Sango breathed as she sat next to him. "It's so soon after her father's death, if she gets hurt in anyway…"

Miroku leaned over and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close and covering her lips with his, silencing her instantly. She tried to squirm away at first, clearly shocked, but soon melted into the kiss and him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, their tongues colliding and mixing with each other's. Sango pulled herself even closer, if that was possible, and squeezed her arms tighter around him. He returned the gesture by placing a hand on her back between her shoulder blades, toying with her golden-brown hair, which was loose and flowing down her back.

"Get a room `Roku!" a busboy yelled. Miroku stuck his middle finger in their direction, but he didn't wait long to put his hand back to Sango's shoulder blades.

About Forty Feet Back to Where We First Started

Inuyasha looked away quickly, his face bright red after witnessing the scene between his best friend and his bestfriend's girlfriend. He looked back at Kagome again. Mistake number one. As he looked back at the stunning girl, something flashed across his eyes.

She was head and shoulders shorter than him, so it was easy for his mind to play with that. Inuyasha's breath hitched at what his imagination played for him in front of his eyes. Kagome, beneath him on his bed, in his room at his father's house, she was---

STOP IT! He almost yelled out loud. He was already more embarrassed about this then when he had been pinned against a wall by his brother in grade school. He hadn't lived that down for years, but if he didn't cool himself down now…

"Want a drink?" he asked quickly, praying that she didn't decline. Mistake number two.

"Sure." She said, praying that he wouldn't see how embarrassed she was. Please don't let Sango see me! She'll read my face like an open newspaper under a magnifying glass, I'll never live it down if she sees me!

Inuyasha led Kagome to the bar and sat down in a seat, waving Jakotsu over.

"Jakotsu, can you get me a Bloody Demon?" Inuyasha asked, his face starting to cool down. Finally.

"And you?" Jakotsu asked, facing Kagome with an overly sweet smile on.

"Um, I'll have the---"

"I'll get her order." Renkotsu said suddenly, pushing in front of his brother and facing Kagome. "What can I get you?" he asked, ignoring Jakotsu's "Damn," in the background.

"Um…" Kagome skimmed the drink list with her fingertip again.

"Another Hot Camille?" Renkotsu joked, receiving a very confused look from Inuyasha.

"I'll try the Blue Mist." Kagome smiled at him, setting the menu back on the counter. "And thanks for that Hot Camille, it did the trick wonderfully."

"I noticed." Renkotsu said through a chuckled, his eyes training on something beyond Kagome before he turned for the alcohol. Kagome turned confusedly and went redder than Inuyasha's t-shirt in 0.3 seconds flat.

Miroku and Sango were making out like there was no tomorrow, both sitting obnoxiously close for the setting. Kagome had a sudden urge to yell "Get a room!" across the floor, but decided against it. Sango would not take it lightly.

"You want something stronger?" Renkotsu laughed.

"Please." Kagome nodded meekly.

"And you, honey?" Jakotsu asked Inuyasha seductively, leaning towards him just a little too close for Inuyasha's taste, so he leaned back as Jakotsu leaned in.

"Sure." He said hesitantly. It's not like I'm driving, I can't afford a vehicle, so what the hell. Mistake number three.

"And maybe you'd like to spar later?" Jakotsu smiled, hinting something and leaning even closer to Inuyasha until Inuyasha almost fell off his chair. Kagome's eyebrow twitched at the scene.

"Nah, he'll be busy." A man with black hair that was spiked back with green streaks in it walked up behind Jakotsu and smacked him on the back of the head. "Renkotsu, serve me up something, will you?" he asked.

"Serve yourself Suikotsu, I don't want you trying to put it on my tab." Renkotsu muttered, eyeing his brother like he was trying to avoid making a deal with the devil.

"I'd never!" Suikotsu laughed, almost evilly, grabbing a glass off the counter for himself.

"Yeah you would." Another muttered, walking up behind Suikotsu and grabbing a glass too, but he filled it with only water.

"See anything?" Inuyasha asked Bankotsu, spinning in his chair and looking at the crowd, his black ears twitching.

"There's a group over in the far corner, they've had a lot to drink and are getting restless." Bankotsu answered, draining the glass and refilling it.

"Yeah, you all looked bored, so we gave them a little more alcohol than they asked for." Jakotsu chuckled, speaking to the bouncers. Renkotsu smirked behind him.

"A little, huh?" Bankotsu repeated skeptically, eyeing the group. They were so drunk, they couldn't even walk in a straight line. One was even having trouble standing.

Kagome looked back at Inuyasha from over her glass. The drink was good. She hadn't expected that rough… Renkotsu, or whatever his name was to be able to make a drink this good and almost relaxing.

"Thanks." She brandished the glass lightly at Renkotsu.

"Nothing to it." He smirked.

"Hey, um, why didn't you want Jakotsu to make my drink?" she whispered from behind her glass, so Jakotsu wouldn't hear her.

"Jakotsu has jealousy issues." He said simply, drying a glass with a cloth and placing it back on the shelf.

"Jealousy… issues?" she verified, not at all sure what he meant in the least. But Renkotsu only nodded and didn't press the subject further.

"Uh oh." Bankotsu chuckled as one of the men from the group in the corner threw his bottle of beer at another, starting a small fight that soon led to a full out brawl of that entire half of the bottom floor of the club.

Inuyasha was out of his seat in seconds, followed my Suikotsu and Bankotsu milliseconds later when they jumped the bar.

" 'Scuse us." Bankotsu told her politely as they passed, probably in Inuyasha's place.

Kagome nodded as he left, but wasn't to concerned with listening to him. Inuyasha, using his half demon speed, had reached the brawl first and Kagome was mesmerized by his fighting skills. It was obvious that he loved to fight. Either that or he just liked beating people up, but Kagome could tell from the gleam in his eyes and the way his body moved to accommodate every blow he dodged.

"Heads." Renkotsu said suddenly, leaping over the balcony and shoving her head down as a bottle of beer went whistling passed where her head had been moments ago. Her head would've been the thing it smashed against instead of the wall if he hadn't pushed her out of the way. Who cared if her neck felt like it been compressed so much that it would never spring back up again?

"Thank you." She breathed, trying to snap her neck and collarbone back into place.

"Nothing to it." He repeated through an excited smirk. "Come on Jakotsu." He called over his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah." Jakotsu muttered, clearing the bar in one jump and landing by Renkotsu's side, holding a nightstick in his hand. He smiled in anticipation. "Let's go kick some drunk ass."

Kagome ducked again as another beer bottle went flying by her.

"Kagome, let's go!" Sango yelled, coming out of nowhere through the crowd and grabbing her hand, dragging her through the people.

"Miroku!" she waved to him as he came into view by the door.

"Watch it!" he yelled, and dove for Sango, tackling her to the floor as she narrowly missed a concussion by a chair.

"Thanks." She kissed him lightly on his cheek and pulled him up next to her.

Miroku flagged down a cab as soon as the reached the street and all three piled in the back.

"To, uh… where to?" Miroku asked Kagome and his girlfriend.

"I still want to dance a bit, so… Odoriba Studio please." She told the driver. (Note: Odoriba means dance floor, or dance hall.)

"Well, I still have to work on some more homework, so the Ichiryuu dorms please." (Note: Ichiryuu means top of class, or school of arts, for Sango's fighting and Kagome's dancing.)

"I'll go with the second lady." Miroku said innocently, his arm snaking around Sango's side. Kagome had a sudden maternal instinct reaction to tell Sango not to do anything she'd regret, but she laughed it off.

"Odoriba's closer." The driver told the three.

"That's fine." Miroku nodded, pressing his lips to Sango's cheek and drawing a blush from her skin.

As the driver pulled up to the studio, Kagome opened the door before the car had pulled to a stop and jumped out.

"Have fun!" she yelled jokingly at Sango before closing the door and dashing into the studio. Sango tried to yell something back, something that Kagome was sure would not be nice, but she closed the door before Sango could get the words out of her mouth.

"Ah! Kagome!" Wakana called as Kagome skipped in. "I was just about to call you. Remember how I said we were interested in you learning sword dancing and fire dancing?"

"Yes!" Kagome said excitedly. A few days ago, Wakana had called to ask what sort of dancing she wanted to pursue, and then suggested sword dancing or fire dancing when Kagome said that she didn't know.

"Well, since you seemed to take to both ideas, you are in luck." Wakana smiled at her. "We have a teacher here that does both and would love to teach you a style that blends the two."

"Really?" Kagome pressed, so entranced that she was actually leaning toward Wakana.

"Yes, and do you remember that I told you that you would need a special leotard for that kind of dancing?" Wakana hinted.

"You finished it?" Kagome nearly shrieked.

"We did." Wakana said in a singsong voice, reaching behind the front desk and pulling out a small box that she handed to Kagome. "It should fit. We used the measurements that you left us, so unless you lied about your waist size…" she joked.

Kagome laughed. "I didn't lie, so it should fit."

She pulled open the flaps on the cardboard box and gasped. The leotard was a gorgeous midnight black that shimmered with gold in the right angle of the light. Kagome picked it up out of the box and held it up to see.

It was a V-neck, sleeveless leotard, and along side the fabric that shimmered with the color of the sun, topaz, ruby and orange sapphires was sewed into the fabric in the shape of a flame. It sat right above her hip and wrapped around her side so the outer edge of the flame could be seen on her back.

"There's another on the way, for the winter." Wakana told her pointing to the leotard in Kagome's stunned hands. "It has three-quarter length sleeves and a short skirt on it. The sleeves and skirt are lined with orange sapphires." (Note: yes, orange sapphires exist, look them up.)

Kagome reached into the box and pulled out a small bag.

"Oh, those are accessories that match the outfit." Wakana told her.

Kagome pulled open the drawstring bag and tipped the contents onto the desktop. A small clip, an armband and an anklet tumbled onto the smooth surface. Kagome picked up the clip and turned it over in her fingers, inspecting it.

"What do you think?" Wakana asked.

"It's beautiful!" Kagome cried, although quietly because she didn't want to cause a scene. The clip was in the shape of a sword, made almost entirely out of rubies except for the diamond hilt. The armband was thin, the same color black as her leotard with a topaz gem in the shape of a spark embedded in it. She picked up the anklet next.

"Is it supposed to be this large?" Kagome asked, holding it against her ankle for sizing. It was at least three times her size, but was in an ovular shape so it stayed on, or so she assumed.

"Yes." Wakana nodded. "Usually you have two on one ankle to create some jingling, but we thought because you have the armband, that one would be enough."

"Probably." Kagome agreed.

"Try it on!" Wakana encouraged. "I want to make sure it fits before they send us the winter ones."

" 'K!" Kagome yelled, grabbing the box of things and running into the bathroom.

She held the leotard up against her frame and admired herself in the mirror, having to admit, even to herself, that she did look very pretty. It went especially well with her black hair.

She stripped and pulled the cloth on, turning this way and that to see how she looked in it when it glowed gold. She was about to step out when she looked at her hair in the mirror again and grabbed the clip, slipping it into her hair. She picked up the armband next and slipped it up to almost her shoulder, noticing how well it caught the light for such a small gem. She slid on the anklet next, really surprised at how well it stayed on despite being, or seeming so large.

"You done?" Wakana tapped on the door with her knuckle. "I have to lock up soon, you can dance for twenty minutes if you come out now."

"Coming!" Kagome said quickly, tripping her way out of the bathroom to get as much dancing time in as possible.

"Beautiful." Wakana approved as Kagome finally got through the door. "Would you like me to teach you some sword dancing now?" she offered.

"Would you?" Kagome gasped. This hour could not have gotten any better.

"I would love to." Wakana smiled, rooting around behind the desk again until she produced four wooden swords, built to resemble a sword so much that the weight was even the same. Kagome took two and tested the weight, tossing them between her hands with her gymnastics ribbon skills and twirling them in her fingers.

"Usually, you would use real swords." Wakana explained, unlocking the door to the dance studio. Kagome loved the room so much that she often came here to do her homework or read, not only to dance. It was an incredible room, where toe shoes weren't allowed because everything was mirrored, from the floor, to the walls, to the doors, to the ceiling.

"But I don't want to lose my arm, so I'm using these for now." Kagome finished with a laugh.

"Exactly." Wakana nodded. "Now, the basics of sword dancing all boil down to two things as far as your soon-to-be teacher is concerned. Balance and Devotion. She thinks that you will become bored or disinterested with the dancing if you don't balance your life, meaning that you must spend equal time in the studio, as you do out. Devotion is another, she does not care for quitters that quit simply because the dance is too hard or boring to them."

"Ok." Kagome nodded, twirling both swords in her fingers. "That shouldn't be a problem, I've stuck with dancing for over ten years, and never once been tired of it." Besides, it helped me when father… well, it helped and I got even more attached to the art then.

"That's a gymnastics move." Wakana noted, watching her twirl the swords in and out of themselves so fast, it looked like she had four swords instead of two. "It should help you a lot if you already know how to handle a sword. Well, lets not waist any time, shall we begin?"

"Thank you so much for doing this." Kagome thanked her while slipping into the same position that Wakana was in. One leg was bent at the knee so she was rather close to the ground while her other leg was extended so only the tip of her big toe touched the ground.

"Now," Wakana instructed, "try this." She held both swords facing one wall, with the tips pointed to the door, one arm arced above her head to form a C shape and the other pointed straight out. Kagome mimicked the move, shocked at how relaxing the move seemed.

"A lot of sword dance moves are taken from or based off of moves from Tai Chi, but others are from Judo or Kung Fu, creating a mixed balance of graceful and exhilarating arts."

Kagome nodded, already in love with the steps and fell into the next position that Wakana showed her. They ended up spending three hours in the studio instead of twenty minutes.

Three Hours Later

"Thank you so much for spending all of that time with me." Kagome said around a yawn.

"You have quite a talent for this type of dancing." Wakana told her, locking up the studio and waving goodbye as she walked the opposite direction.

"Oh shoot." Kagome murmured to herself. I left my notebook at The Dancer. I'll have to go back and get it. She huffed, stomping to the bus stop.


	5. Chapter 5

Hi everyone!

I wanted to say thank you for keeping up with my story so well, but I also need to ask you something. Sorry to do this, but if you ever see anything weird looking in one of my chapters, (AKA: name switches, messed up pronouns, missing names) PLEASE TELL ME!

You can email, or tell me in a review, but I would really like to know as soon as possible.

If some of you are reading `How Do We Learn To Love The Ones We Hate', then you might remember in one of the chapters, that Inuyasha and Sango's names were switched throughout the entire chapter. In another chapter, Sango and Kagome's names were switched.

Incase you didn't get to read my most recent chapter of this story before I fixed it, I'll tell you what happened: Sango's, Kagome's, Miroku's, and Inuyasha's names were all replaced by `I', making it ---needless to say--- extremely confusing!

It will be so much better for readers and for me if I'm told instantly about mishaps like this! You can email () or write a review. And keep checking back once you have. If I get a review like that, I delete that particular chapter and have it back up, fixed, almost instantly!

Thank you again!


	6. Chapter 6

Who Are You?

Kagome stared out the window of the train and watched the underground tunnel lights flash by. She had left her English notebook at The Dancer and was on the way to pick it up, considering she needed it for the test in three days.

Kagome dropped her money in the slot and hopped off the train, jogging up the steps in a stupid fear that the dancer would be closed because of the fight. She sighed as she jogged down the street and saw the flashing neon lights still blinking through the black night.

"Back again?" Renkotsu asked her with a small smirk as he dried a glass, setting it back on the rack after he was done.

"I forgot my notebook." Kagome explained, crouching down to scan under the nearly deserted tables.

"All lost items are upstairs with Bankotsu, he's second in charge." Renkotsu said automatically, as if he did it eight times daily, setting another dry glass on the rack.

"Oh, thanks." Kagome walked towards the stairs, but did a double take as she pictured the rough Bankotsu, always eager to beat someone up. "Bankotsu's second in charge?"

"Yeah, he's the oldest of us quadruplets, so he's taking over after dad."

"Who's your father?"

"You'd probably know him by Totosai?" Renkotsu looked at her, almost reading her face to see if she did know him.

"No, I don't." Kagome shook her head.

"In any event, Bankotsu's the one you need to talk to." Renkotsu brushed over her response easily, setting another now dry glass down on the counter.

"Thank you." Kagome sighed, heading towards the stairs. Kagome hopped up the stairs and knocked on the only door at the top. She shifted her weight between her feet as she waited.

"Yeah?" someone finally called, Kagome recognizing Bankotsu's voice through the door.

"Sorry, but I'm…" Kagome poked her head in and froze in her tracks. Inuyasha was sitting on the lone couch in the room, staring at her, waiting for her to leave so he could continue talking with Bankotsu, who was perched on the arm of a chair in the corner of the room.

"Yeah?" Bankotsu prompted impatiently, his arms crossed loosely across his chest.

"I left… my notebook… here." Kagome said slowly, looking quickly away from Inuyasha's prying eyes.

"Oh, yeah." Bankotsu stood and pulled a cardboard box off a shelf. He riffled inside through cell phones, scarves, and jackets, finally pulling out her purple notebook. "Here." He held it out to her.

"Thank you." She stepped just a little too quickly towards him and snatched her notebook, shuffling out of the room and shutting the door just a little too quickly behind her. She practically ran down the stairs, waving to Renkotsu's raised eyebrow as she raced out the door.

Kagome skidded to a stop outside the Dancer, catching her breath that she didn't know she had lost until then. She gripped the front of her shirt, forcing herself to slow her breathing.

What was that about anyway? She screamed at herself.

"Uh, Kagome?"

The breath that she had managed to regain rushed out of her lungs almost painfully fast as she nearly choked on air. She swallowed and let go of her shirt, straightening her composer and turned to face him, a light smile on her face.

"Yes?" she asked him quietly, worried that she wouldn't have enough breath to make her voice any louder.

"Well… I wanted to, you know… thank you… for the stitches and all." He murmured, rubbing the back of his head and staring at the ground.

Kagome managed to put a smirk on her face. He's having just as much trouble with this as me. She giggled. Wait, trouble with what? There isn't anything to have trouble with! She had to refrain from shaking her head vigorously at her stupidity.

"So, you know, I thought maybe, I could thank you by dinner?" he shrugged, shoving his hands tightly in his jean pockets, his gaze not left the ground yet. What is it about her? I've seen her and really met her for one night! I can't get her off of my mind! It's because she looks like Kikyo, that's all!

"What?" she choked out, leaning forward slightly.

"Nothing." He snapped, whirling on the spot, a barely noticeable blush sprinkling his cheeks. Of course not, why the hell would a girl like that want to even know someone like me?

"Wait!" she called, jumping forward and grabbing his arm. "Yes---I mean---I just wasn't expecting that---I mean---I think I'm free---I mean… I'd like that." She managed to look him in the eye, the deep topaz of his eyes mesmerizing her again.

"Really?" he couldn't keep all of the awe from his voice. "I get off early tomorrow, want to go from here?"

"Sure." Kagome stuttered, her hands tight in front of her, her lips locked in a perfectly straight line.

"'K, um, see you." Inuyasha said abruptly, whirling and walking coolly back into the dancer.

Kagome stood in the street for an immeasurable amount of time before the honk of a car horn snapped her out of her stupor.

Did I just… get a date? With Inuyasha? She pressed her hand to her mouth, waving a cab down with her free hand.

I think I did. She realized.

"Where to?"

"Huh?" Kagome jumped, having not even realized that she had gotten into the cab and not heard the driver asking her that question at least three times. "Oh, uh, Ichiryuu School dorms please." She stuttered.

The man rolled his eyes and looked around a little before pulling out into traffic, Kagome zoning out again in the backseat.

XXX

"HEY LADY!"

"What?" Kagome jolted up again, looking around frantically.

"$4.50!" the man said for the eighth time.

"I'm sorry!" Kagome bubbled, pulling a five-dollar bill from her pocket and shoving it in his hand as she clambered out of the cab. "Keep the change." She said, slamming the door and ruing to her dorm before she accidentally spaced out on a park bench in the middle of the night.

She knew who she would tell. Sango would be busy, possibly with Miroku, but there was someone who was always willing to listen. Night or day, rain or shine, no matter the distance or if her hand went numb from holding the phone for so long.

She knew who she would tell, because they could relate with boy problems. She just had to get to the phone in her apartment before passing out because of the shock from the realization that she had just been asked out by Inuyasha.

One Cab Ride Earlier

Inuyasha slumped against the back of the door. He had just gone out to thank her… how the hell did he end up asking her out on a date? He hadn't been on a date in decades! No exaggeration!

"Hey mutt face."

Inuyasha looked up and growled at the new face right in his. Koga had his hands on his hips, and was bent over just to get in Inuyasha's face.

"Get lost." Inuyasha snapped, shoving himself up from the floor. Sometime during his thinking, he had gone from just slumped against the door to having slid all the way to the floor.

"What's up?" Koga asked, straightening up and trotting next to Inuyasha. "Your face looks like a beet, you ask a girl out or something?"

Inuyasha growled and rounded on his `friend'. Yes, they were friends, but they fought like they were a cat and dog.

"I hit a nerve, didn't I?" Koga smirked, flashing his fangs as he did so. "Who was that girl?"

"None of your damn business!" Inuyasha roared.

"She looked a lot like Kikyo, but… what were you doing anyway? She looked pretty flushed too." Koga asked him, truthfully curious.

Inuyasha's fangs were bared and he was poised to lunge, and was about to do so, until an ancient looking man creaked down the stairs.

"Inuyasha, do not break one single thing in this bar, or you will be searching for another job that hires people who lie about their identities!" Totosai threatened, one finger raised.

Inuyasha snarled, but let his hands fall to his side. He needed this job, and it was a miracle that Totosai had hired him, especially since he knew Inuyasha's condition of running from his family and living in hiding and hadn't told his father.

"Feh." He sniffed, storming away from Koga. "How do you even know that she looks that much like Kikyo? You've only seen one crappy picture of her."

"What's her name?" Koga continued, following him right out the door. Inuyasha stopped and whirled to face Koga, knowing that the damn wolf would follow him all the way to his apartment if he didn't answer.

"Listen up mangy wolf, `cause I'm only saying it once, got it? Her name's Kagome, I met her in the hospital before she quit being a nurse. I haven't the faintest idea why she looks so much like Kikyo, but get this, I don't want you ever mentioning Kikyo's name to her, got it?" he growled menacingly, grabbing Koga's front and pulling him towards his own face.

"And you asked her on a date?" Koga cocked his head to the side, his hands crossed in front of him.

"So what?" Inuyasha barked, doing a double take when he realized what he had just said. "No! I didn't!"

"You can't lie mutt." Koga accused. "Especially after you've already admitted it." He shook his head in mock shame, making small `tsk'ing sounds with his tongue.

Inuyasha growled, his hands clenching into fists.

"I'd gladly fight you mutt," Koga said, eyeing Inuyasha's hands and arms, all of the muscles popping out from under the thin t-shirt, "but I doubt Kagome would be happy if you couldn't make your date because you were in the hospital again. What's so special about her anyway? You've never shown any interest in women for as long as I've known you! And that's a pretty damn long time, by the way."

"I don't know." Inuyasha snapped, whirling and striding off for his apartment again, Koga right beside him as always. There were a few good things about his friendship with Koga. One was that he could be truthful and tell him about everything, the wolf didn't care what he did, whether it was on purpose or not. Another was that he was always in the mood to fight, no matter if they were wiped on the way home after chasing someone down for the police, or if they were just at the Dancer, or at the job they shared, Myoga's garage.

"'Cause she looks like Kikyo?" Koga stared up at the sky as they walked, both heading toward the bayside, where Inuyasha's apartment building was.

"That's not it… well, maybe it is…" Inuyasha's face flushed a light pink at the mention of why he liked Kagome.

"You don't know." Koga finished for him, looking at him and folding his hands behind his head.

"No." Inuyasha growled, kicking a rock by his feet a good mile out over the water.

"Huh." Koga raised an eyebrow in thought. "Well," he said abruptly, turning and jumping off the balcony the two had climbed to Inuyasha's apartment during their talk, "see you tomorrow, we have that Hummer to work on, don't be late."

"Yeah, yeah." Inuyasha grumbled, digging in his pockets for his keys. He managed to unearth them through all of the trash and things he didn't even know were in there and stuck the key in the lock. He jiggled it around in the rusty door a little before managing to turn it enough, hearing the lock click from inside. He threw his body against the door to open it, it being too rusty to just push open.

I really need to get some oil for that. He threw his keys on the table, yanking open the fridge and digging through the old and moldy food for something edible, settling on a half eaten ham sandwich. He strode over to the cabinet and pulled out a package of ramen, tearing open the plastic, pouring some water along with the noodles into the only clean bowl left and stuck it in the microwave as he chewed on his sandwich.

This is going to kill me, maybe Koga would… nah, well… maybe he would help me…

Meanwhile, Ichiryuu Dorms ( means other end of the phone dialog)

Kagome lifted the phone out of its cradle and dialed, walking over to her window and looking up at the stars.

Hello?

"Hi Kaede, is Kikyo there?"

Sure, hang on.

Kagome rubbed her temples one after the other with her one free hand, before pinning the phone between her ear and shoulder to use both hands and massage her aching temples. Too much had happened tonight.

Hello? Kagome?

"Hey Kikyo." Kagome sighed. Kikyo and Kaede Nisou were Kagome and her brother Souta's cousins. Though Kaede and Souta got along quite well, there was never a time when Kikyo and Kagome saw each other and didn't fight. They loved each other and could always talk to each other over everything, but also fought over absolutely everything. (Note: Nisou means priestess)

Hi, what's wrong? You sound tired.

"I am." Kagome agreed readily, nodding her head like Kikyo could see her. "I met a guy tonight."

Oh?

That was a good and bad thing about Kikyo, she had somehow mastered how to not use emotion in anything she said, unless she was mad.

"Mm-hmm." Kagome nodded again, reaching for her pjs draped over the back of a kitchen chair, secretly battling to be the one using the least emotion.

And? Kikyo prompted.

"Well, he asked me out, of course, that was after he ditched the hospital I worked at and I cut his stitches because he didn't wait long enough to get them out." Kagome sighed, shrugging out of her shirt and bra, her words coming out in a rush.

That one? Then is he taking you out… to thank you?

"I guess." Kagome shrugged. "What's new at your end?"

Father finally told me the name of my fiancé.

"Yeah?" Kagome sat up straighter. Not five months ago, Kikyo's father had engaged Kikyo to his friend's son and had refused to tell Kikyo the boy's name or who his friend was.

Not another two days after that, Kikyo had been informed that the boy had run away from home.

It turns out that it's an old friend, Inuyasha, though we haven't seen each other for years.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome repeated, suddenly a little shaky. "What's his last name?" she put in quickly.

Takahashi, why?

"Oh." Kagome breathed, confused to why she was relieved. "Nothing, just, Inuyasha is the guy who asked me out."

Really?

"Yeah, but his last name's Ningenteki. Strange, Inuyasha's a weird name, odd that there's more than one person named that."

It is a little odd. Kikyo agreed, a thoughtful nod in her voice.

"Well, thank you for listening, I needed someone to talk to."

No problem. Kikyo smiled. It was nice hearing from you again. You've been gone a lot recently, your college and then meds sch---uh, well, we have to visit again when we can.

"Yeah." Kagome bit her lip, wishing that her time at the medical school had not been brought up. "Come down from the shrine when you get a chance, I know you want to be a priestess, but everyone needs a break from what they like once and a while."

I will. Bye Kagome.

"Bye." Kagome lay back on her bed, placing the phone back in its cradle. It really is odd, more than one person named Inuyasha… huh…

Please Review! Thank You!

*PS: give Kikyo some credit and slack. She loved Inuyasha and vice versa before she was murdered, she deserves a good place in this story. (Because in my other story, she's second to the head of all the evil in the story.)*


	7. Chapter 7

I Want to Know You

Kagome gulped, straightening her hair in the mirror again, in fact, it was the 18th time she had checked her hair in the mirror.

"Calm down." She told herself again, reaching down to smooth her skirt. Again.

"It's just a date, you've been on dates before!" she reminded herself, making sure that she hadn't forgotten anything around the house. Again.

"I mean, seriously, what's so damn special about him anyways?" she asked herself, looking back to check to make sure that her minimal use of make up was alright. AGAIN.

She usually didn't use make up, but for some reason tonight, she had felt that she wanted to. She had been a doctor once, and doctors never wore makeup for health reasons, so it felt odd to have this extra weight on her face.

She slipped on her shoes, her favorite ones, the ones with the one-inch heel that gave her just enough height and muscles in her legs.

She grabbed her keys and slipped out the door, making sure that the door was firmly locked before she dropped her keys in her bag and dashed off to the elevator.

She had had an incredible day. She had gotten up early and gone for a jog, and then the rest of the day until about 5 she had spent at the studio with her new teacher practicing in the art of sword dancing.

She had a knack for it, there wasn't any reason to be modest. After all of her years of teaching a junior class of gymnastics for elementary kids, she had gotten really good at using the gymnastics ribbon, and that was exactly the skill that she needed to wield a sword. She had already gone from just a stick to a wooden sword with a metal hilt and the correct weight in just one day.

Kagome gulped, forcing herself to hit the elevator button and ignore the butterflies in her stomach, and then she hit it six more times in hopes that it would come faster.

She skipped all too eagerly into the elevator and hit the first floor button another six times. She was hopping between her feet, leaning on the balls of her feet and trying to distract herself with every miniscule crack and rift in the walls and ceiling of the elevator.

She dashed out of the elevator, literally running, and flagged down a cab, waving frantically so the cab driver skidded to a halt be her, thinking she was in trouble.

Meanwhile (Use Your Imagination for Kagome Freaking Out Through the Cab Ride)

Inuyasha swallowed. His first date in decades. It was a stretch, especially for him (and considering the fact that he had vowed never to date again when his old man had engaged him to Kikyo).

"Will you relax?" Koga barked, making Inuyasha ump straight out of his skin. "You're making me jumpy!" he growled, smacking himself in the forehead.

"Shut up!" Inuyasha growled.

"Me shut up?" Koga yelled, fangs bared as he whirled to try and glare a hole through Inuyasha's head. "You're the one who's breathing like he's in labor!"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha barked again, his stomach dropping straight to his gut when Kagome walked through the door.

She looked like a goddess, to put it mildly. He hair was pulled up in a bun, her bangs draping magically around her face. She was dressed in a flowing, knee-length black dress, with a sash and bow right under her… Inuyasha tore his eyes away, refusing to let himself look at her chest like that. Instead, he made a small connection that the dress reminded him of the feudal era clothing that people used to wear, which were always at least three sizes too big.

"Dude." Koga sighed. "Close your mouth, your jaw's on the floor."

Inuyasha snapped his mouth shut, growling once more at Koga before taking the nervous steps out into her range of vision.

Meeting at the bar definitely wasn't the most… romantic of situations, but through all the haze from the smokers, Kagome really did look like a goddess through a mist.

Kagome's eyes met him as she managed to spot him and she waved, calling him over. She blushed immediately as he became actually visible through the smoke. He was wearing a tux that made him look like a freaking prince with his long black hair sweeping around him. She understood why he had changed the color, it would be easy for anyone that was in the hospital to recognize him, but she still missed that shimmering ivory hair.

"Hey." He said confidently, and Kagome had to bite back a laugh as she heard a quaver in the back of his throat. At least she wasn't the only nervous one.

"So where are we going tonight?" she asked him, trotting next to him as he strode towards the door, hands deep in his pockets.

"Thought we'd see a movie, maybe have a quick snack…" he said casually. Kagome couldn't help but laugh.

"You don't have to try so hard, I'm nervous too, I haven't dated since high school." She took his hand, but was unfortunately unable to look him in the eye after her stunt.

"Try decades." He flushed hugely, grateful that she wasn't looking and couldn't see the pink across his cheeks.

"Who was your last?"

"You wouldn't know her." Inuyasha shook his head. "Besides, she was kind of a freak…"

"I might." Kagome replied.

Inuyasha sighed. "Her name was a girl named Mukade."

"Hmm." Kagome furrowed her brow in thought… it sounded familiar, but…

"She called herself Mistress Centipede." Inuyasha snorted. "It was some gang name."

"Oh yeah!" Kagome said suddenly, pulling her hand from Inuyasha's to thunk her fist lightly into her palm.

"You know her?" Inuyasha wasn't even trying to hide his shock. Why the hell would Kagome know someone as low and sadistic as---

"She came in with a missing arm!" Kagome said abruptly, halting him in mid-thought.

"Huh?" he blinked, growling at Miroku when the human gave him a thumbs-up and a very suggesting wink. Inuyasha blushed 56 shades of red and whirled, slamming the door open, but managing to hold back his embarrassment enough to remember to hold the door open.

"Yeah, she and her gang came in, she had lost an arm in a fight. We were able to reattach it, but then… poof, she just disappeared. Kind of like what you did, except she didn't pay her bill." She added with a giggle. Inuyasha couldn't help but smirk at her smile as he flagged down a taxi, but quickly shoved the intruding emotions away.

The hair on the back of his head stood on end, his normal 6th sense reaction for letting him know that someone was watching him. His eyes flicked around, doing a double take when he found Kagome's eyes resting on him. Worry was clearly splashed across her face.

"What?" he asked, wincing as he did, he hadn't meant for that to sound like he was barking at her, and hoped she hadn't taken it that way.

"You seem to be messed up in a lot of gang activity." Kagome noted.

Inuyasha swore beneath his breath, too low that any human could hear it. He had forgotten that she was a doctor, and that doctors were paid to see and notice everything. He was taking some serious risks tonight, unless he wanted to come right up and say it.

"I ran away from home because my mother died, I hate my brother, and my dumb-ass father put me into an arranged marriage. I really like you, but I've committed murder before, and I don't think you'll like me back, so I'm just going to leave now." Yeah, that would go over beautifully. He would go to hell in a hand basket tied with a sweet pink ribbon before he was going to tell her that. Hell, she might even figure it out on her own.

He blanched. "---I really like you---" WHAT THE HELL DID HE THINK THAT FOR?

I do not like her like that. I do not like her like that. I do not like her like that. I do not like her like that. I do not like her like that. I do not like her like that. He told himself over and over, shaking himself mentally by the neck until his mentally created eyeballs were about to rattle right out of their mentally created sockets. (Ah, sweet, innocent denial, but all fanfiction readers know it wont be true in the future!)

"Inuyasha?" Kagome tugged his arm, snapping him out of his stupor. He blinked and apologized quickly, climbing into the cab after her. When had it even pulled up? He hadn't even realized it was in front of him or that Kagome had already long since gotten into it and had been waiting for him for quite sometime.

"You ok?" she asked him once he had pulled the door shut behind them, the glass between them and the driver making it safe to talk.

"Fine." He said stiffly.

Kagome flinched but didn't press him more, it wouldn't be a good idea on their first date. She still couldn't believe he had asked her out, and his many different bipolar emotions were starting to freak her out, but she had seen much worse in the psychiatrics wing of the hospital. Besides, this boy seemed… ok to her. She didn't know how, but his past and issues weren't important, and she was positive she would be able to see past them if they continued to see each other.

Inuyasha winced at her reaction. Must not take this out on her. He thought about punching himself to wake himself up, but she looked freaked enough as it was, so he decided to use his hand for something else before he really did hit himself and touched her hand tenderly, sliding his into hers.

Brown eyes whipped to their hands, and a small crossed the girl's lips. Her hand tightened unconsciously around his.

Later (Use your imagination again for the dates, I didn't feel like listing too many cliché things)

Inuyasha licked his dry lips, his eyes turned up to the night air. Tonight had been… fun. Actually fun. Kagome was interesting, and new things about her caught his attention at every step she took. Every line they crossed together, from just walking side by side, to Inuyasha putting his arm on the back of her chair in the theater, every step taken to do that had been exhaustingly interesting.

They had chosen some horror flick at the movies, he couldn't even remember the name now. The strange thing about the movie hadn't been the actual picture itself. First: Kagome had suggested it. Maybe he was thinking off of stereotypes, but he thought girls hated horror movies.

Second: no matter how much blood and guts spurted from numerous bodies on the screen, Kagome hadn't flinched once during the entire thing. Not one single time.

Third: she had been so nervous at dinner when she had been so relaxed during the slasher movie that she made him nervous.

Fourth: he had thought about walking her back to her dorm—wherever that was—but he had caught her looking into the park where the remaining little kids and their parents had been playing, that he had steered her into there instead.

Fifth: this was the part he liked best, he thought that girls loved to make useless chit-chat for hours on end and that only guys liked silence, but Kagome had seemed so content in the quiet night air, that they had been lying in the grass, looking up at the sky with each other for the past three hours. How Inuyasha had the patience to do that, he didn't even know, but the point was that he had.

This girl made him so relaxed, despite his first impressions about her because of her resemblance to Kikyo. It was so easy—natural, almost—to be around her, that he felt he could fall asleep without any worries for once. He was always plagued with worries of… him, (Inuyasha shuddered at the thought of the man who haunted his nightmares, the tall one, with long wavy hair, but instantly shoved the thoughts aside, not wanting to ruin the moment) but with Kagome here… he felt almost safe. Something he hadn't felt in a really long time. Too long.

He knew he needed to see this girl again.

"So, Kagome…" he began, removing his arms form behind his head to push himself up onto his elbows so he could look at her, and read her eyes, to see f she lied on anything or not.

"Yeah?" she turned her head from the stars to look at him, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Her brow furrowed as she looked at him though.

"What is it?" she asked him, pushing herself up onto her elbows with him. "Is something wrong?"

Inuyasha rocked back at the comment. Had she read his eyes? "What do you mean?" he tried to ask as calmly as he could.

"Well," she paused, seeming to be fighting with herself, "I'm sorry if I'm prying, but… you looked a little troubled there for a second, like you should be…" she paused again, trying to put his worried expression into words, "running from something." She said finally.

"I'm fine." He repeated, getting serious déjà vu from earlier when she had done the same thing. "But I wanted to ask you something."

"Yeah?" the smile touched her lips again, the traces of anxiety for him gone from her eyes. He sighed, glad that he had relaxed himself enough to hide him from her again. She couldn't know yet.

"I was wondering if you were free, maybe… this Saturday?" he shrugged, waiting for her to turn him down.

"You… want to see me again?" she asked, unable to keep the glee from creating a wider smile on her face.

"I liked tonight." He shrugged, not looking at her so she wouldn't be able to see him like that again. "I kind of feel like… I'm not done meeting you yet."

Kagome giggled, nodding as she did.

"You know, I was just thinking the exact same thing. I don't think I've seen enough of you either."

He leaned back as here deep brown eyes stared into his. "I want to know you." She smiled sweetly at him.

Inuyasha's eyes went wide. Is she a freaking psychic? For god's sake, she practically read my mind there! Damn doctor instincts. He cursed them again, ignoring the bagging voice in the back of his head that was reminding him of how may times they had saved his sorry hide from a one-way trip to the afterlife.

"Me too." He managed to smile, not being able to help it but notice that her smile almost gave him the courage to smile.

Later

Inuyasha stopped to lean back and look up at the dorm building. Kagome was in college now. It shouldn't have surprised him, but she always seemed much more intelligent than her age should've been.

"So…"

Her voice called his attention back to her, she was blushing adorably and was staring at the ground, their fingers still entwined.

"This Saturday then?" she managed to finish her question.

He nodded. "Saturday." He agreed, the back of his neck prickling again. Very suddenly, practically out of nowhere, how long had they been there? That smell… he sniffed the air again… it was a demon's.

Oh no. He pleaded. Please no, don't let it be him.

He couldn't stop himself, he didn't care that Kagome was looking, if it meant their self-preservation, then who cared what she thought. His head whipped side-to-side, frantic to find the source of the stares.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome looked up sharply, almost gasping at the amount of ferocity and fear on his face as he searched for something in the black night.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, giving a sharper tug on his sleeve. "Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha was growling now.

"Damn wolf." He snapped, his eyes trained on a few bushes on the other side of the street. Kagome slowly followed his gaze, almost growling herself at the insane amount of time it took for her eyes to adjust to the blackness and the distance. Sure enough, crouching down behind the bushes was the wolf she had seen earlier in the bar with Inuyasha, and none other than Sango's boyfriend, Miroku. The two of them seemed very absorbed in just watching her and Inuyasha and Kagome wondered just how long they'd been there.

"Well, goodnight then." She laughed to pull him out of his daze.

"Yeah, `night."

He froze for a moment, before dipping down quickly and pecking her cheek lightly.

A loud whoop was heard from the bushes and Inuyasha yanked back, whirling to snarl at the human, who was cheering for the half demon.

"I'll pick you up here Saturday." Inuyasha said quietly to her before charging off after his two friends, who were now running for their lives.

Kagome's hand reached up and touched her cheek. It was still warm, but maybe that was just her blush.

One thing bothered her though.

His expression. It wasn't that of just being worried over being watched, he looked like he was trying to save his life by finding the thing watching him. And earlier, that pain in his eyes… I wonder what happened to make him like this. It must have been bad. Whatever it was.

Kagome hugged her suddenly frozen arms, rubbing them in hopes that the friction would bring back some of her warmth. She turned quickly for the building's door, suddenly with the feeling of not being safe out here any longer while being completely alone.

Inuyasha…

I know, I know, this chapter is painfully short. I'm sorry, but writer's block is a bitch. I can't really do much writing if the ideas aren't flowing, so you'll have to be patient for a while. Sorry!


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